How Do These People Sleep at Night?

Robin Hood was the legendary bandit of England who stole from the rich to help the poor. Although stealing is morally wrong, sometimes there needs to be economic fairness. But what about people who steal from the poor? They are harming the harmless for personal gain. How do they sleep at night?

Let’s consider fraud. “Fraud” is any activity that relies on deception to achieve a gain. Fraud becomes a crime when it is a “knowing misrepresentation of the truth or concealment of a material fact to induce another to act to his or her detriment.” In other words, if you lie to deprive a person or organization of their money or property, you’re committing fraud.

I am particularly disappointed by hearing of the Mississippi welfare fraud case, in which Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre is allegedly involved. Texts from former Gov. Phil Bryant showed a push for a volleyball complex to be built at the University of Southern Mississippi, Favre’s alma mater, using money that was supposed to go to the state’s welfare agency. The newly released texts show that Favre and several others worked together to channel at least $5 million of the state’s welfare funds to build the new stadium.

In another case, Mr. Ian Hosang created seventy-six fake charities, sharing a mailbox, and the I.R.S. approved them all despite glaring red flags of potential fraud. Mr. Hosang is a convicted stock-market fraudster indicted in Brooklyn in May on charges of grand larceny, identity theft, and conducting a scheme to defraud. The Brooklyn district attorney said he stole about $152,000 in donations that flowed through twenty-three of his nonprofits. He spent the money on mortgage payments, credit card bills, and at liquor stores.

In a third case, the F.B.I. said it had discovered a “massive fraud scheme” in Minneapolis. During the pandemic, the federal government made available huge sums of money for programs to feed needy children. A nonprofit organization called Advance Youth Athletic Development set up what it described as an enormous childcare operation in northeast Minneapolis that could prepare 5,000 dinners each weeknight. In affidavits filed in federal court, the Justice Department said it was investigating at least fifteen different feeding operations. Together, the F.B.I. said, these groups, all of which were supposed to be overseen by Feeding Our Future, had received more than $65 million from federal food programs during the coronavirus pandemic. “Almost none of this money was used to feed children,” the government wrote in one filing. “Instead, conspirators misappropriated the money and used it to purchase real estate, cars, and other items.”

For most of us, hurting others causes discomfort. There are two reasons people may harm the harmless. Either they don’t feel others’ pain, or they enjoy feeling others’ pain. Sadists get pleasure from hurting others or watching their suffering. People with strong narcissistic and antisocial personality tendencies (i.e., sociopaths and psychopaths) just don’t care about others’ suffering.

Narcissism has become our cultural buzzword. But these disordered traits can be seen as being on a spectrum, based on the severity of their dysfunctional behavior and emotional incapability. Characteristics of these personality disorders are lying and deceiving, lack of care and concern for others, severely limited emotional intelligence, lack of remorse or guilt, and aggressiveness (active or passive). Narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths want things. If harming others helps them get what they want, so be it. Generally, they don’t feel pity, remorse, or fear. Fortunately, only a minority of people have these traits. Narcissism is found in 6.2% of the general population. Antisocial personality disorders are found in 3.7% of the population (5.5% male and 1.9% female).

So, if you ask one of these perpetrators of fraud how they sleep, they will likely tell you they sleep like a baby. They don’t feel, in their souls, that they have done much wrong or unjust, possibly until they are caught. They believe that they are entitled to harm others financially or otherwise. The entitled and empowered feeling that they carry is what keeps their conscience and subconscious relaxed, without loss of sleep.